Recent movies

Since my TV-summer pretty much revolves around English murder mysteries, I haven't been watching all that many movies lately. But here they are, some of them, graded on the Pia-scale of 1-5 (5 being superb, can't get any better);

* Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School - kind of sweet, prosaic story about destany, love and ballroom dancing. 3

* Om jag vänder mig om - If I turn around - a really great Swedish, award winning drama about love and lies, described in a very prosaic and easy to relate to way. I so recommend! 4

* Out of time - yes I like Denzel Washington. A lot. But he doesn't always appear in the best of movies unfortunately. And for me the only enjoyable thing in this movie is sort of the fact that it takes place in Florida... Other than that, boring, ridiculously foreseeable crap. -2

* Alfie - I did see the original version with Michael Caine years ago, don't remember a thing about it. Won't remember a thing about this new version with Jude Law either. Stylish, haphazardly made, non-memorable thing to pass some time. The whole movie I kept waiting, and waiting, for something that would actually grab me. In vain. 2

* Girl next door - seen that kind of plot tooo many times over the years, implemented in far better ways, *yawn* 2

* Rancid - Once upon a time this Swedish director still went by his real name Joakim Ersgård and made a decent horror movie called Besökarna/The Visitors about a haunted house. A movie in which his brother Patrik also played a part.

These brothers have since moved to Hollywood, start making movies together and changed their names to Jack and Patrick Ersgard - only that silly changing of the names is enough to break down in laughter - but the real clinch to the story is the fact that they make such unbelievably lousy, untalented movies they bring a whole new dimension to the genre of turkey movies. One of life's great mystery might be how anyone could possibly want to finance their movies...

The only original thing about this movie Rancid is its name. The rest consists of a crappy story, even worse acting - why do they use Swedish actors, who aren't half bad when playing decent parts in Swedish movies, in annoying supporting roles? Trying to, but to very convincingly, speaking English with an American, tough-guy-accent... The script is theatrical and strained, and the whole thing just makes you shiver in shame. Mark: embarrassingly worthless

* The Ladykillers - saw the original version with Alec Guinness years ago, remember I enjoyed it. Can't say the same about this hotchpotch though. Whatever was that red cat thinking appearing in this shoddy movie? I guess it must have been a question of the right amount of money, or cans of tuna...

The only thing I enjoyed about this movie was the view overlooking the river and the garbage barge scenes - mark: the garbage barge is the only place completely befitting for this movie, 1

* Scenes of the Crime - average, good actors, -3

* A Guy Thing - pretty entertaining for the moment, 3

* Down with Love - thoroughly entertaining, stylish and witty, great actors. I so enjoyed seeing Ewan McGregor like the first time I saw him in the great TV-series Lipstick on Your Collar. 4

* Le pacte des loups - Brotherhood of the Wolf - with a statement of "the best movie I've ever seen" from a well-known movie-critic, it was really interesting to see what kind of movie it would turn out to be. Well, far from being on the top 100 top list in my book, I quite enjoyed it.

It was beautifully filmed, with gorgeous costumes and an absolutely wonderful soundtrack. A different story about good versus evil in 18th century France. But still, a bit too long, affected, kind of scratching on the surface, and way too many wimpish fighting scenes - 3

* Beyond Borders - there were a few really gripping scenes in this otherwise rather skin-deep movie, about a very serious subject. And there is such a thing as too much lips larger than the TV-screen... 2

* Frequency - me liked, a lot! Different, non-foreseeable supernatural thriller/drama with good actors. 4

* Moonlight Mile - Dustin Hoffman shines, in this both sad and fun drama about coping with loss. Susan Sarandon and Jake Gyllenhaal aren't too bad either. But still, amongst all this heartache, my favourite scene is definitely the last one with cat and dog in the car's backseat. The expression on the dog's face is just priceless... 3

* Solaris - dreamy, gloomy, slowly moving forward, or not, I still kind of liked it, the sentiment, the dialogue - and not only because major eye candy George Clooney, which also happens to be a great and versatile actor, played the main role - 3

Movies - short and not necessarily sweet

Skipping all the non-memorable-average-mediocre stuff - here are my latest watched movies;

* All the king's men - almost everything Sean Penn does is great. Which goes to show that there's gold to be found in the most surprisingly places and people, I was far from impressed by him in his early acting days. And yes, he's good as always - what a repetoire he has! - in this movie too. And it is an interesting story about the corruption in politics. But somehow it's just too looong and it struggles, and I'm not really sure what I think. -3/5

* Paris je t'aime - I haven't been to Paris. Yet. And guess what, this movie sure don't make any Paris-itch getting so unbearable I just have to book a plane-ticket... Such a boring, boring movie and a complete waste of talented actors. And, what I suppose, a beautiful, fascinating city. +1/5

* Scoop - yes I'm a Woody Allen-fan, moviewise, there's just noone else who can do a grumpy old intellectual the witty way he does. There have been some mediocre WA-movies, and some really bad ones - Shadows and Fog being the absolute bottom-level. I shudder even at the thought... - but I enjoy the better ones the more! Anyway. Scoop was quite a nice one, and seeing Scarlett Johansson as a young female version WA was kind of surreal and really fun. +3/5

* Hidalgo - movies which includes man's cruelty and ignorance towards animals always gets to me. And so did this. And I do want a happy ending when that happens. And I did get that. Classic adventure movie with an underdog getting revenge. Quite ok. -3/5

* The Mother - british drama with Daniel Craig in a not-very-Bond-like role. But the main-character is a middleaged woman who becomes a widow - and frankly, good riddance... - and a life wasted. But hopefully not completely. Sad, gripping and yet hopeful. 4/5

* Veronica Guerin - a true story about an Irish journalist who was murdered by drug dealers in Dublin in the late 1990ies. It's scary with these parallell lives, probably in any city all over the world, perhaps just a subway-stop away. I had no idea drugs were such a huge problem in Ireland as recent as that, I'd never heard - as far as I remember - about Veronica Guerin until I saw this movie. What a brave woman! Chilling story, but I missed depth and coherence. -3/5

* The Weight of Water - I love Anita Shreve's writing, but I haven't read this book though. But I'm intrigued by the fact that she has re-used the characters and part of the plot in a later book, but changed it slightly. Or perhaps not. I'll write more about that later, since it's more of a book- than this movie-related thing. Sean Penn again, great achievement as usual. As the rest of the cast, apart from that horrible excuse of an actress Elizabeth Hurley. I have no idea what she does in movies except showing of her latest plastic surgery... Brrr. I would have wanted more depth, the movie sort of only scratched the surface in parts. I did like the two dimension outplay though. -4/5

* God is great, I'm not - and neither is this movie. Far from. And I can't help but thinking about what my Belgian friend once said, when I raved about French movies; Ha, that's just because you haven't seen all the crap in French we have to endure on TV here. You only get the very selected parts of the French movie-production. And seeing French movies like this one I totally understand that view. Some sort of pseudo-intellectual, family-drama, lovestory, comedy that's just annoying and a waste of time. Not even Audrey Tatou is enjoyable. Less than 1/5 = worthless

Some French movies, in different genres, I do enjoy in different ways - some I even adore - and really recommend are Jean de Florette and sequel, Le Grand Bleu, Subway, Betty Blue, La cité des enfants perdus, Amélie, A very long engagement, Léon, Les Visiteurs, The Crimson Rivers, Le Placard, Romuald et Juliette - go see those instead!

* American Splendor - American independent movie at its best, love it! Paul Giamatti rules! Memorable quote from main character while looking at himself in the bathroom mirror - Now there's a reliable disappointment. Witty, grumpy, real, 4/5 with an extra plus

* High Crimes - yes I admit, I am a legal/lawyer-movie/TV-series buff and yes, I'm a sucker for a great closing argument. Which of course has to have a certain finesse to it. I'm not sure if this movie has that. But still, it's quite the enjoyable thriller that keeps you guessing right until the end. Morgan Freeman is good as always, Ashley Judd has a great haircut and James Caviezel is his usual creepy self. -4/5

* Old School - yup, this movie reminds me of the American Pie-movies, I admit I find them hilarious in parts, quite enjoyable in all their crudeness. And Will Ferrell is the very essence of comedy. It doesn't hold all the way, but still those moments with roaring laughters was just what I needed. +2/5

* Elina - Som om jag inte fanns (Like if I wasn't there) - a moving Swedish drama set in the Northern Sweden in the 1950ies tells the story about a little, brave girl and her questioning the authority of her petty queen of a teacher. -4/5

* Octane - a bizarre thriller about a mother who has a tense relationship with her daughter and while arguing with her at a gas-station the daughter gets lured away by a cult. Aspire the Twin Peaks-feeling, but ends up completely without its subtlety and originality. And whatever has happened to lovely Madeleine Stowe, she sort of looks like a Michael Jackson-wannabe... Or perhaps it's just the natural ageing-process for people born in August 1958... Movie: less than 1/5 = worthless

* Ocean's Thirteen - I do like gentlementhieves and a good plot. This movie is stylish, swishy, witty - and houses eyecandy extraordinaire George Clooney - still the namedropping gets a bit much and the plot feels sort of strained. But yes, I want to be as cool as Ellen Barkin. 3/5 perhaps with a slight minus

Over and out.

Me and you and everyone we know

Being the name of a movie I hadn't had the chance to watch until now - and I loved it! Over the years I've come to more and more appreciate that certain style of movie, unpretentious with and about windswept outsiders, but still very much like me and you and everyone we know - what an apt name of the movie!

Even the poop-part of the movie (#1), yes that was mainly about childrens fascination about such issues below the waistline, was utterly entertaining and sort of endearing. In a both sad, fun, thoughtful and strange way.

And staying with that subject, I realized that three out of four really good laughters I've had lately has revolved around that lower part-subject. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the fact that we - we in this case perhaps being me and you and most everyone we know... - consider ourselves to be far above that poopy-kind of humour, so it is with a slight guilt we indulge in such matters. And while giving oneself up to that kind of slightly guilty humour we also release tensions and get in touch with our inner child...

Or perhaps it's just so darn fun, no matter what age you're in!

And being one of the "last taboos" in this world, sharing laughters around that particular subject might actually bring people closer together - I found this entry over at dooce's to be completely hilarious as well as sort of precious (#2).

And yes I do find the way she put her witty words, with a certain cynical, ironic, clever personal lemon twist, to the blog great. In a way I'd never be able to put English words to paper. I turn more than slightly green while reading, I must admit. While competely enjoying most things I'm reading.

Another blog I now and then pop - notice, only one "o" - by and read is Konsum, a Swedish one, with an anonymous blogger who's supposedly works at a local Konsum store near me (and you and everyone we know...). And I just say wow, it's a ding ding world... Anyhow, this particular entry was about *surprise* customers pooping in the store.

Yes I'm serious, my best friend in junior-school's mum worked at H&M back then, and she shared her experiences of people having a very regular habit of doing just that in the dressing-rooms, sometimes covering it up with clothes, sometimes not...

So if you're Swedish is more or less fluent, why not pop - remember, one "o" - over and read this entry (#3) Do not forget to read all the more-than-worth-reading-comments on the subject...

And for more Swedish felicitously written entries, head over to the entry about Papegojpojken(The Parrot-boy being laughter #4, and not having anything whatsoever to do with poop) at Ett liv i exil (A life in exile).

intressant.se

Big Fish

Yes that being the name of a really lovely movie - one of my favourites - but that's not what I'm going to write about. Big fish, or perhaps dead fish is a better word for it, is also the name of a handshake. Or lack of the same.

I'm sure you know what I'm writing about - the handshake that's just the most awful thing to get in contact with. That soft, limp, flaccid, lack of energy, droopy, floppy excuse for a handshake.

First impression is really important, we all know, and then to get that lame, lax "handshake" from a person, well it sure doesn't make for a good first imprint!

I always, yes always..., get somewhat suspicious of that person behind the hand, when they can't get a decent grip saying "hallo". I firmly believe that a lack of determined handshake goes hand in hand *pun!* with a very indecisive, vague and opportunist personality...

It's bad enough if you get it from anyone in passing, but the worst case of dead fish must be if it's from your boss or anyone you're dependant on... Not a good way to begin a new job on - believe me, I know... First impression proved to be oh too true...

On the other hand *pun again* you really shouldn't go overboard with the handshake. Those who has too firm a grip - when you're almost forced to visit the er after exchanging shakes - tend to use it to show off. All talk and no action. Sort of like some men use flashy sportcars as xx-lengtheners...

I can't help but wondering how those dead-fishers live their daily life if they can't show off a normal, firm handshake. How do they lift their coffeecups, how do they get dressed, how do they manage to drive their cars, how do they write, how do they carry things, yes how do they make love - dead-fishy style...?

So all I expect, yes what anyone would expect, the first time we meet, when you want to make a good impression, is simply a normal, decent, conclusive, steady handshake! Now that shouldn't be too hard to perform, should it?

intressant.se

Movie review, short and sweet

I do like movies that take you that that little extra way thinkingwise, but when it comes to reviews I tend to make it short and sweet - or sour - and right to the point. So here comes my opinion on the latest 20 movies that I've seen, the latest one first;

• Mozart and the Whale - quite a sweet movie, I did love Josh Harnett's portrait of a man with Aspergers syndrome. Rather moving on the whole I think -4/5
• The Sentinel - a pointless and totally predictable thriller. 2/5
• The Passion of the Christ - actually, just a blood mess. I'm clueless. 1/5
• Jersey girl - is there any movie Ben Affleck has played in that's worth seeing...? I just feel sorry for his co-stars who has to do all the work in order to get a semi-decent movie. 2/5
• The Holiday - ok, the Law-Diaz lovestory was pretty mushy in parts, but as a whole I totally enjoyed it. Fun, cute, moving and a movie which takes place partly at the English countryside is hardly ever wrong! 4/5
• Wallander - Mörkret (Darkness) - Swedish thriller, based on a story by the internationally renowned Swedish author Henning Mankell. Quite a good one. -4/5
• Exit - Swedish thriller with Mads Mikkelsen. What a piece of foreseeable, embarassing crap! I have absolutely no idea why good actors took part in such a lousy production... Less than 1/5 = worthless
• Vinnare & förlorare (Winners & Loosers) - Swedish dramacomedy, had its moments but unless you're completely interested in trotting you might as well skip it -2/5
• The Majestic - it had its moments, but was far too looong and strangely unengageing. I wonder what happend with that cute-scary looking toy-monkey though...? -3/5
• Life or something like it - a totally pointless drama with a Marilyn-lool-alike-Angelina-Jolie,*brrr*, -2/5
• The Stepford wives - the Nicole Kidman-version. Highly enjoyable! Loved her sidekicks ms Midler and Roger Bart. I've seen the original version years ago, but if my memory doesn't play me a trick it has a much sadder ending, more faithful to the book I would imagine. 4/5
• Where the truth lies - yes I do adore Colin Firth, but not everything he makes. This one I did like though, a lot. Stylish, sad, interesting and I love the fact that they actually keep the mystery going all the way to the end! 4/5
• Babel - completely overrated and unengageing 2/5
• American pie - The Wedding - yes I confess, I find these American pie-movies qute entertaining in parts, yes they are totally gross partly but sometimes you just have to have a good laugh and for some reason that kind of nasty, crude kind of humour does the trick. +3/5
• okay - Danish humorous drama. 3/5
• Wimbledon - Paul Bettany was great, other than that left no imprints. -3/5
• Duets - hadn't heard of, was a really nice surprise. I'm far from a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow's acting..."skills", but wow, her singing did impress me a lot! And so did Paul Giamatti - oh my! A little gem, 4/5
• Town & Country - just because it had that hilarious scene with the polar-bear costume it gets a 3/5. Other than that it was pretty bleak. But Diane Keaton was as good as always.
• Wallander - Byfånen(The village idiot) - another movie based on a book by Henning Mankell. So-so, -3/5
• Black and White - yes I do love my courtroom-dramas and lawyer-TV-series, and there's not a lot that beats a really good concluding speech! This move is based on a true, and sad, story about an aboriginal man in the 1950ies Australia that was wrongly accused and sentenced for raping and murdering a white girl. But well, I must admit, it mainly left me restless and bored... -3/5

Have you seen any of the movies above? What's your opinion on them? I'd love to know!

I confess (a few things)

So, the time has come. To share a few secrets that aren't food-related. To confess. A bit.

* When I was a child I didn't want to take my beloved wintercap off - an ugly yellow synthetic thing with a tassle - when warm spring came. In those days it was most certainly NOT cool to wear a cap, not even during winter... Even my mother began to feel a bit embarrased over the fact that she had a child that refuse to go outdoors without a cap. My simple answer was - I've got my security in my cap. Nowadays I wear my security inside and don't need a cap to prove it.
* I've never felt really comfortable in and near water. If it isn't the shower. I hate swimming in pools where I can't feel the bottom. I never swim in a lake if I can't touch bottom. It took ages before I learnt to swim when I was a child. I still hate to get my head under water and I'm very proned to involuntary gulps of water *brr*. I don't like boats. And if I can I really don't want to take longer trips with them. Or even shorter. I'm still rather fascinated by water, and - yes perhaps I have a vivid imagination - I always wonder what lurks beneath that glittering surface...
* It's the same way with statues, I've never liked them, the ones that resembles living things. They creep me out. I don't want to enter churches, museums or historic houses if there's a chance there's a life-size or larger statue that I'll have to come too close to. Yes, they're beautiful and yes I'm working on it. I do love the wonderful Glyptotek in Copenhagen - but I tend to keep my distance and look over my shoulder...
* My first pop concert was with Shakin' Stevens - oh those hip-moves, oh that voice, that look, simply irresistable in the early 80ies...
* I had two budgies when I was a child, sweet boy Max and little bitch My, both coboltblue. My died of constipation, Max of old age. And here comes one of my most sordid secrets - I/we had him stuffed. Because he was such a beautiful bird. He still sits on a treebranch on the topshelf in my mother's bookshelf. Such a horrible thing to do. I'm really ashamed.
* I've been keeping a book on all the movies I've seen since 1990. Or several books really. Since I've also kept a record of all the actors, directors and memorable things like the music, theme, locations etc. Thousands of movies in those books by now... Not that I can remember all the movies by looking through what I've written, but still it's kind of fun to at least be able to go back and have a look at what I saw on May 8th 1993 and October 13th 2001... Yes, lists are fun, indeed they are!
* I've never smoked, I've never even had a puff. And I never will.
* My dream-job as a child and for many years was as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I gave that dream up when I realised how silly the job-tests for a job at the Foreign Office was. And besides, I'm not particulary impressed by the way things work in UN, always. Unfortunately they often lack teeth when they need them. Well, who knows, perhaps I would have made a true and important imprint there...
* My first LP-records were the soundtrack from the motion picture "Fame", Shakin' Stevens "Shaky" and Roxy Music "Avalon" - the later still being one of my favourite records ever!
* My first singles were "Ebony & Ivory" with Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder and "Memory" from the musical Cats with Barbra Streisand (love that song!)
* I loathe metallic colours in clothes, accessories and makeup - always have, always will. No matter how fashionable it might be now and then. Brr, ugly!
* I'm a great fan of Pet Shop Boys - they're amazing and completely entertaining in that certain ironic way only Brits can be! And that's that.

* Edit: I guess the PSB-thing wasn't the best kept secret. So here comes a little bonus, when I was about 12 years old I won a love poetry-competition. I even remember the poem, at it's such a mushy little thing I go all red just thinking about it...

Faraway, So Close

Besides being an amazing movie Faraway, So Close - not to mention its magic prequel Wings of Desire, the main reason I fell in love with Berlin. I admit when I saw the Victory Column with Siegessäule for the first time it was so powerful I began to cry. One of those moments in life when you finally realise irl that something so special really exists not only in the movies. And it's rather overwhelming and emotional... - is also how I feel about these two pictures, or rather the motives.

The picture above being one of my absolute favourite picturesque sightings in South Africa, colourful beach-huts. And the picture below a classic Swedish threesome of fisherman sheds with that typical red/white style.

It's basically the same design but with slightly different details, and I find this very endearing. It really shows that even though it's so far apart, faraway on different continents, it's still so very much alike, so close, don't you think?

In the eye of the beholder

It has been a rather chilly, windy day today - but at least the sun has shown her generous side. And here comes a sample of what beautiful things the beholder also known as Pia, has seen today.

Even the rather shabby facade of the local Konsum-store can be lovely under the right circumstances.

A whole field of innocent looking wood anemones, tempting to throw oneself there and just looking at the bluer than blue sky contemplating life...

Another one who need a bit of a springcleaning - but he's happy just the same! *no way that tail will stop wagging*

My gorgeous ornamental gardentree - of an, to me, unknown name - it's in bloom but only for a few days. But oh what a bloom...

The one obvious thing of today that didn't meet approval at all in the beholder Pia, was the movie Babel - what an utter disappointment! I do like butterflyeffect-plots, interweaving stories and seemingly random deeds that have a greater impact in different lives than one might think. But a movie with that theme does have to have more layers, more details for me to take an interest. I loved Crash for example, such a powerful movie with glimmering details that makes one think long after the movie is over! But Babel... well in the world according to Pia it gets a 2/5 perhaps with an added small + for a rare shine or two. The music was rather wonderful though.

Bye, bye Tracy, Stephen & Val

I'm sure - I think, I hope? - that I'm not the only one who perhaps read one book by an author, maybe the first one they've written. I find it rather appealing, I then buy the next one, it's sort of ok, the third one might be a bit better than the second one, but the fourth one basically sucks...

I've actually no idea why I bought and read that third one since the second one wasn't particularly good, and to buy a fourth or perhaps up to five books of the same author that I'm not very impressed - to say the least - by is a total mystery!

Perhaps I live in hope, the hope that they might pick up and return to what made the first book quite a good bedcompanion? Or is it just routine, I know what I get even if it isn't very good reading, at least I can just relax, read and don't have to bother with thinking?

But the thinking I of course do, I'm constantly thinking about what a lousy read it is, badly written, a more than strained plot, why do I value my time and money as low as to buy and read that less than worthy to read literature?

So I now make my official goodbye to three writers that I've bought too many books of, spent too many hours reading. Here comes the threesome, the books I have, the books I've read and my witty (weeell...) comments last.

• Tracy Chevalier: Girl with a pearl earring since the book was so, so, by all means go see the movie instead. Time spent with Colin Firth on the screen is never a waste of time in my world. Or perhaps, if we're not talking about horrific exceptions like "Hope springs" and the low-water mark "Trauma". Falling angels, equally so-so. The lady and the unicorn, the best in the bunch, but since the rest isn't much to say hooray about... And then we've reached the worse of the bad, The Virgin blue... Think a not very talented high school essay with a historical twist and a stupid lovestory. It actually took be over two years to get through it - and since I'm sometimes too stubborn for my own peace of mind I just had to get through it. I actually think I deserve a prize for that!
• Val McDermid: The Mermaids singing this book was quite chilling reading and the plot was a pretty unique and good one. I thought. At first. Having read some of McDermid's other crime novels in the series of Jordan-Hill after that - The wire in the blood, The last temptation - I've come to re-evaluate it. Not very well written, the relationship between the two main characters are completely frustrating and the author's fascination for really over-the-top-horrific-ways to kill and mutilate just gets... too much. Same goes for Killing the shadows. Sometimes there's an exception to the rule and, even if it's some time now since I read "A place of execution" I think it was a rather good suspense novel and not as "gooey" as the others.
• Stephen Booth: now we've reach an author whose kind of crime novels should appeal to me (the publishing company is Minotaur, fantastic covers and, above all, they take place in the English countryside) and apparently I've convinced myself they have. For about five books. The Black dog, Dancing with the virgins, Blood on the tongue, Blind to the bone and One last breath. But enough is enough. I'm just more than annoyed about the relationship between the two main characters (have you heard that before?), it's not the least bit charming, intellectual and witty like Reginald Hill's pair-horses Dalziel and Pascoe. Just tiresome, immature and incomprehensible. And the unravelling of the plot mostly leaves me with an "so? Was that all there was?". So, bye bye Stephen!

That's it. I've wiped my book-plate clean of those three. This evening I'll hopefully discover a, for me, completely new favourite-to-be writer instead of ravel in the past. One that's more than well-worth her pocket-book-price. Review will come later.

Today's picture shows some of the tulips with friends in my garden. I've inherited most of them from the previous owner, yellow really isn't my colour. Not to sound ungrateful, and of course I'm happy I have flowers that seem to take pleasure in sticking their tender noses up in my garden every, but I really must get down to planting some new bulbs this Autumn. That'll grow up to be beautiful pink, pink and more pink tulips next Spring...

Glorious

I had every intention to write an insightful and witty (all things are relative) bookwormy review-blogentry today. But after a simply glorious day here in Stockholm - how about those daffodils to the right! - with too much sun, too much fresh air, too much walking I feel I've just been springcleaned out of all my wit and will enjoy an early night instead.

But before that I'll probably enjoy some raspberries along with Häagendasz raspberry-cream icecream (never is there such a thing as too much rasberries!) and the movie "Wimbledon" on DVD. Not really sure why I chose that movie, I'm as far from a sporty animal as one can be - praise the forces of nature for that - but it has some good actors too it and I'm sure it's just as easy-watching as my newly springcleaned mind can take right now.

By the way, I'm a bit excited about the fact that that fun little Cluster-gadget seems to be working now, the wonders of the computerworld never seize to amaze me...

Little Miss Sunshine

In April, in Sweden, you should always be prepared for a quick change in the weather. So after a week or so with amazing weather, sun shining from a bright blue sky, winds as mild as a really good vanilla ice-cream, urging you to take the clothes off - we're now experience that capricious moodswing of April.

The wind is blowing from the north, it's merciless and vicious, the skies are dull and pointless, the only thing shining is the sun with its absence. And yes, if freezing rain pouring down wasn't bad enough, we actually had lots of hail yesterday, followed by a snowy, white lawn in the evening.

April days like this you just want to curl up in bed, under the duvet and go into hibernation a bit longer. But if you can't do that, you might think about starting the day with a nice fruity smoothie with different kind of seeds. And feel the mood- and energylifting little internal fellas get to work.

In the afternoon you might have the opportunity to have a movie-watching, tea-drinking, cake-eating experience in the sofa. And if you want a really uplifting, sweet movie with a darker twist to it I highly recommend Little Miss Sunshine. It teams up well with a matching cake, such as a


chocolate marzipan covered pearmousse one.

And when it's time for dinner in the evening, you might like to get some more energy-boosting veggies. Why not opt for a really simple, but oh so tasty paprika-sauce and pasta?


And here's the basic recipe:

3-4 red/orange/yellow paprikas
1 jar of creme fraiche (2,5 dl)
1 of your favourite onion
oil, salt, pepper, spices of your liking
some slices of your favourite soya, quorn product, like veggieballs or sausage

Slice the cleaned paprikas in pieces. Parboil them a couple of minutes. Pour them in a mixer with the creme fraiche until it's a smooth mix. Slice the onion and fry it for a while. Pour the paprikasauce over the onions, spice it up and add the veggieballs. Serve with pasta.

And I wouldn't be surprised if this comibination of moodlifters (all completely legal) will leave you feeling like a little miss Sunshine when you curl up in bed at night.

Muffin-day

Agent M was suppose to start the day with a round of golf - me no, I've never been and will never be interested in that primitive kind of farming - but instead he ended up in bed with a cold. He - unlike me - almost always gets better in a couple of days, so I don't pity him all that much *sorry*.

I'm more worried that he has past on that bug to me, since I do have that cold terrible from Christmas past still haunting me... And my ears haven't really recovered completely, even though the doctor said they looked fine...

So my day has been rather tranquil, I've been a good housewife *BIG joke* and done some cleaning, washing and baking - the later resulted in these rather tasty muffin with raspberry and creamcheese. The recipe I got from Dagens muffin (Today's muffin).

Oh yes, the day has been so sunny and warm that it's almost too much - remember this coming from someone who quite recently spent some weeks in the Southafrican sun without complaining a lot... - so I did turned the heat-pump off *saving some more energy and money*. Hard to imagine it was only a few weeks ago, or so, that it was heaps of snow in the garden...

Now, I'm just going to hang some bedlinen to dry, then make som tea and enjoy that with a yummy muffin *m and f's always make food sound much more appetizing, don't you think?* and a good movie - at least it shows lots of promise - Thank you for smoking. All in the company of cats & dog.

Drama queen

After the wedding (Efter bröllopet) is a fantastic movie, intensely emotional without being sentimental. Rolf Lassgård is sensational and Stine Fischer Christensen in the role as the daughter is really good too, well the rest of the crew overall really.

I'm far from a fan of the Danish Dogma-movie concept. Except when it comes to Susanne Biers movies, they just get better and better. And give more and more food for thought.

If you haven't seen "After the wedding" yet - please do! And also two other great movies from the same director -

Brothers (Bröder) and Open Hearts (Älskar dig för evigt).

So much interesting and good things come from Denmark, not only do they have one of my favourite cities, Copenhagen, great fashion and a certain laidback atmosphere I really miss in Sweden, they also make some fantastic movies (to mention a few Italian for beginners, Wilbur wants to kill himself, Nightwatch, The Inheritance) and TV-series now and then, like Nikolaj & Julie, Rejseholdet (Mordkommissionen), The Eagle (Örnen) and Anna Pihl.

Now if they only could learn to speak proper Scandinavian and give up the filthy habit of smoking, then all would be well in the kingdom of Denmark.

Prime suspect muffins

Easter Sunday has been quite a lazy day. Very sunny but rather cold - it's even worse when you have had a taste of the spring and summer to come and then it's back to chilly pre-spring weather again. We actually had a bit of snow on Good Friday, something that conveniently had slipped my mind until now...

I've managed (again) to put the musts, should, would, could-haves of the day aside. Instead I've been watching some movies

• King Arthur -2/5
• Paradiset -3/5
• Charlie & the chocolate factory 4/5

And soon the very last episodes of that fantastic suspense-series with Helen Mirren is on TV, Prime suspect - The final act. A sort of sad fact that it's the last episodes... I'm still not over the death of Chief Inspector Morse...

The Prime suspect will be accompanied by the muffin of the day - pear muffin with cinnamon and cardamom (a slightly changed recipe from the Rosendal garden café cookbook).

I'll have to have all the heartshaped muffins to myself - or unsuspected guests - since M refuses to eat them. He thinks some of the muffinpictures taken in the garden have some highly suspect props. Like fossil find á la loafdoggie turd in the flower bed. Myself I just think he needs to put on his glasses and cool down that imagination. And I'll be happy to eat some myself and serve the rest to guests - anyone fancy a pear muffin?

Pick me up-wednesday

This is how my gloomy day turned into a rather nice pick me up-day:

* The walks was pretty powerful (to the station incl "the hell-hill" plus in the woods with little dog)

* I didn't have to pay for the train-ticket on my way into town (if I hadn't been so tired when coming home I could have used the public transportion for free all day, but Mister Bus-driver wants to use his tools and I wanted to use his bus...)

* I found a really cute basic magenta-coloured Odd Molly cardigan with a bit of a discount. (But I also tried on an equally cute grey embroidered one. And when I look at the website I find even more "must-haves"... So perhaps I've been very good and perhaps someone would like to put some goodies in an Easter egg...?)

* I also found a really lovely short, red trenchcoat, which I'm really happy about! But I'm not going to share the brand since I fear my reputation will be quite blemished if doing so... Do I have to mention I'm not a fan of high-street stores...?

* We managed to just beat the lunch-crowds for tables at Texas Burger and thoroughly enjoyed our veggie portobello burgers.

* I found some fun, colourful papers which I'm going to use for variation in pictures. I hope for good outdoor light tomorrow, so I can try them out...

* The latte from Coffee cup was, as usual, a much enjoyed friend on the train back home.

* Arriving home I've written several applications, letters and e-mails. There's only a week now until a new kind of reality strikes again... I'd lie if I said I didn't dread that a bit... Fingers crossed for a suitable solution!!

* Now I'll fill the washing-machine, and then enjoy tea with semla (this now makes the 6th this year I think, it's now a fact, I've eaten more semlor than the average Swede...) and a movie - Just like heaven - I think I deserve a bit of cuddling up in the sofa!

The Tuesday Philosophy Club

Ah, it isn't Sunday - as in the title of Alexander McCall Smith's little friendly gem of a book about the Edinburgh-based sleuth Isabel Dalhousie. A book, a novelist, I highly recommend for easy reading and yet all his books are full of clever and wise words! - but one can philosophize on a Tuesday (I should have said Monday, but I see now that the clock has passed over midnight here in Sweden) too.

And that's what I'm going to do. About this and that. And about movies that at first glance seem rather mediocre and mainstreem, but when you ponder a bit over them (philosophize!) you realise they actually rise above that mainstream, at least in certain moments, in certain lines.

Such a movie was the one I saw today, "The Shadows of the Sun" aka "The Shadow dancer". Some of the words and thoughts, ideas and moments, even if perhaps not very original, I really treasure. Yes it really struck a chord in me - I wouldn't give it more than a 3+ on a 1-5 scale moviewise, but in moments it was brilliant.

Yes, to find ones own path, that's something I've thought a lot about these past years. At first quite involuntary, then it was just painful, but little by little I came to realise it was perhaps possibly a good thing. Yes, a good thing that I got that painful and involuntary chance to really work on and, oh yes, philosophize over it.

I'm now definately a better person, a rather changed person. Both stronger and weaker, more in touch with myself - and the world around me. Ah, it seems like I'm overflowing with wisdom, maybe I do, at the best of times anyway. Right now the "only" problem is what to actually do with all this found wisdom? I know what I want, but to really be brave and go for it and not let any "musts" hold me back - that's easier philosophized than done!

Paralyzing cookies

The more things I ought to do the more paralyzed I get, occasionally. I also tend to do quite the opposite of being busy, lazying around or doing something that really don't need to be done. Like baking.

But on the other hand it's better to bake yourself and be sure on what the ingredients are, than to buy the cakes, cookies and bread. And besides, it's rather rewarding to be able to treat guests with homemade goodies rather than the boring, bought stuff from the local supermarket.

So last night - when I should have been doing some "must"thing... - I baked my new cookie-favourite (one that I totally dissed the first time, too buttery, too sugary...); sunflowerseed cookies



I got the recipe from The Cookbook Café cookbook "Två systrars söta" (Two sisters sweet). Can't say I'm too keen on the food they serve at the café (I used to eatlunch there now and then when I worked in the neighbourhood. We didn't go for the food though, but the ambience). The cookbook I bought mainly for the gorgeous pictures.

Oh how I love a good picture!! And the overwhelming reason for me to buy cookbooks aren't the recipes but the pictures. Which I can drool over and savour for hours, the pictures that is. The food and recipes that comes with, are hardly ever of the same interest. Even if I now and then try a recipe here and a recipe there. Like sunflowerseed cookies. Which are so simple, and tasty. But be warned, not for people who like to see - and eat - a neat and tidy cookie.

Yesterday I actually did - like the cookbook says - a triplebatch (yes they do freeze well) and I chuckled for myself when I crouched on the kitchen floor trying to be sort of effective and bake the batches all at once - the kitchen table being full of pearls and the kitchen counters being full of... well, other things. What can I say, I'm not really the tidy, everything-in-neat-order-housewife-kind... Never have been, never will be. But I do just fine anyway!

I had the opportunity to sample a cookie or two just in time for the Swedish prizewinning flick on TV "Masjävlar" (I know it's been translated something like "Dalecarlians", when it really should be "Bloody Dalecarlians". It's not a flattering move-title, but it says a lot...). The move which accompanied the sampling was so-so. Rather entertaining at the moment, but it left me with a big "so what? What was the point of it all?"-feeling. Like so many, too many, movies tend to do... But the cookie-sampling got an A+!

My day as a soap

I actually forgot that I also celebrated my international womanhood yesterday as a soap. Perhaps even the world's largest soap?

I did it once, and then I did it twice yesterday. Mistook the travelsize bottle of bath & shower milk for body lotion. A bit sticky, but still the skin felt soft and moist. And nicely perfumed.

Since I had gotten away with it once I thought I might as well do it a second time. Perhaps it was one of the reason the job inteview went so fast, my soapy apparition?

Today though I was myself again, using up that silly little travelsize bottle in the shower *mmm* and my ordinary Kiehl's creme de la creme afterwards. And then I was off to have a massage. Which was, as usual, rather well-deserved and nice.

Perhaps not as nice that it would have been if it had been the tutor instead of the pupil who had massaged me... Trying to not get completely carried away I must say that that brief imposition of hands was the work of a true handy man!

On my way home I picked up a couple of desserts from Xoko - which by the way finally has a website of its own. Even if it isn't a very fun one who really lacks that extra in ways of pictures... The desserts I chose this time was one Nobel Prize 2006 dessert - of which I can't seem to find a description, but it looks nice! - and one "some sort of apple variation".

Which most probably will be fought over after dinner, in front of the TV when "Kill Bill, vol 2" is on tonight. I'm still a bit baffled by the fact that that bloodthirsty lawyer in vol 1 shared my mobilephone ringtone. I wonder if that might have some mysterious hidden meaning about it?

March 8th, International Women's Day

This special day, that once was declared by the American socialist party in the beginning of the 1900, is now celebrated globally as a day dedicated to political and human rights and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide.

An important day indeed, a day one might wish would be celebrated each day... As well as the animal- and human rights day...

My own women's day was spent in a slightly less political and social awareness manner. I went on a job interview, which hopefully will lead to something pretty soon.

And after a looong walk all over town (since I'm just too cheap to pay for that darn bus-ticket for such a "short" ride) met a friend for coffee at Tully's (whose coffee I did appreciate so much more years ago when this Seattle-based coffeeshop-chain first opened in Stockholm. Now I don't think it's nearly as good as i once was, unfortunately... But since THE place for seriously fun people-spotting is in a windowseat at Tully's I visit there now and then anyway),

did some utterly nice beautyproduct-shopping (more about that later)

and then home for a really nice romantic movie "The Lake house" (me like, me like a lot!).

And the whole day I was basically, of course, very proud of being a modern, caring, socially aware and really great woman!

If you want to know more about the International Women's Day, go to Wikipedia

How did YOU spent the International Women's Day?

And, for sure, roses for every socially aware, human- and animal right's struggling woman AND man all over the world!!!

Plastic fantastic

I'm flying solo this weekend - M is out and about at some weekend-party with his company since they celebrate... is it 30, 40, 50 year's anniversary? Well, something like that anyway

- there's a hint of my overwhelming interest in all matters concerning that strangely sect-like company. The sect-thing about it somehow only seems to bother women and not the men attached in different ways to that company. At least they don't see that clearly until they have broken their attachment...

But that was just a parenthesis, the sect-like workplace of M, what I was going to write about was this amazing little - or not as little - tea-strainer from Koziol. This is a limited edition with a high glamour factor. I chose the red/gold one, but among different colours there was a very nice one in lilac/gold too.

I had great plans about just lying on the sofa and watching movies all weekend - and a bit of cleaning up I might just add to those plans too... - and sipping buckets of tea that had been soaked with this glamour-tea-strainer of mine.

And rekindle my friendship with Brideshead revisited, The Draughtman's contract, Pride & Prejudice and Orlando - but somehow time has a tendency to fly and I'm not, so there hasn't been a lot of moviewatching and teasipping going on, yet.

Another drawback is the fact that it turned out that most of the tea in tins had gone bad and there wasn't much of taste left in them. So I just have to do with the old, reliable teabags. Equally good but the weekend glam-factor isn't very high.

But I've been a good little baker and baked some rather nice sunflowerseed-cookies - never mind more than half the batch were forgotten in the oven and went sort of really, very well done... But the good ones go very nicely with a teabag or two... or more.

My newly found tea-strainer also goes really well with something else than tea. Another great Koziol item, my hot pink Spring flowerpot from last year. Love it or hate it kind of thing, and I just love it! Also the fact that it's a vintage model, that was originally created back in 1971, makes it a bit more special.

I think the German brand Koziol is fascinating, it actually started in the beginning of the 1900 and ever since then they've come up with funky, cool, stylish - more or less, mostly on the edge of kitsch I suppose - modern things for the home. I also like the company's way of updating their own vintage models and make a new one, often with a bit more ompf and colour. Yes, actually plastic can be fantastic!